Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos was hailed as a hero by the family members of two fishermen from Sekinchan who were freed from Indonesia's custody and scheduled to arrive home by tonight.

Jamal visited the home of Heng Chee Yong, one of the two Sekinchan fishermen detained on March 4, near Batam, to personally deliver the news.

Heng's wife, Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung (photo), said she was grateful to Jamal for his assistance.

The couple has two children. Also present was Chua Kee Chong, 68, whose son Chua Lee Teck was the second fishermen released.

Jamal later said he received instructions to hold a press conference after the official announcement was made by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi last night.

"We are in the process of settling the documentation and they are expected to leave for Tanjung Pinang in Batam at about noon.

"The boat journey from Batam to Bagan Sekinchan may take about four to five hours," said Jamal.

He said the two fishermen are expected to be handed over to Malaysia's maritime enforcement authorities earliest by tonight.

At the same time, Jamal also denied that the announcement was made intentionally to coincide with the ongoing by-election campaigns.

"It is just a coincidence. This (clemency from Indonesia) has happened not because of the by-elections.

"I organised a demonstration outside the Indonesian Embassy, four days after they were arrested.

"And then we also went to Batam to visit them. Now Alhamdulillah before the by-election, two of of them have been freed," he said.

Jamal added that aside from the two fishermen from Sekinchan, they had also managed to seek clemency for at least two others from Pontian, Johor.

Praise from MCA

Local MCA leaders present during the press conference also praised Jamal for his efforts and derided Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Suee Lim, whom they claimed did not care about problems faced by the fishermen.

In the three-cornered fight for Sungai Besar, BN Budiman Mohd Zohdi is up against Parti Amanah Negara's Azhar Abdul Shukur and PAS' Dr Abdul Rani Osman.

All three parties have been actively engaging with the fishing community in Sungai Besar, particularly the trawler operators and deep sea fishermen in Chinese-majority Sekinchan.

News reports indicate there are approximately 2,000 coastal fishermen around Sungai Besar, mostly under the Umno-held Sungai Panjang state seat.

The fishing community is small considering the 40,000-plus registered voters, but with BN having won by a tiny margin of only 399 votes, each vote counts.